The Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, constructed in 1935, is one of two high schools in Montgomery County that was constructed with Public Works Administration funds (the other being Montgomery Blair High School). The original building when constructed, was the largest school building in Maryland. Constructed in the Georgian Revival style, it was based on the academic buildings of William and Mary College, and Harvard College. The school has undergone numerous additions in response to population growth. The 1952 administration building was the last public school building in Montgomery constructed in the Georgian revival style, with modernism taking over school designs. Other additions include one in 1938, 1941, 1946, a 1976 renovation, a 2002 major addition that combined the Administration and original building into one building, and a new 2018 addition.
The Bethesda Farm Women's Market, also known as the Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative Market is a farmers market that operates year-round in downtown Bethesda. The farmers market building is located on the corner of Willow Lane and Wisconsin Avenue and was constructed c. 1932. The market is the county's oldest market, and in addition, it represents a movement of farmers' wives in the Great Depression looking for new avenues of revenue.
The Bethesda Post Office was one of three post offices built in Montgomery County under the Works Progress Administration (others in Rockville and Silver Spring). The post office was built in 1938, in the Classical Revival style, with native Stoneyhurst stone. The Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda was also constructed under the Works Progress Administration. The Post Office had an addition to the North side in 1966. The original portion features a hipped roof, arched windows, and a cupola. Inside, a mural by Robert Gates depicts the Bethesda Farm Women Market. Four pilasters support an engraving with the words "United States Post Office, Bethesda, Maryland." The office closed in 2012 and is today vacant after a fitness studio closed in 2020.
The easternmost of 12 identical statues depicting white pioneer women migrating along 19th-century western trails. Commissioned by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), they were dedicated in 1928-29 in 12 states stretching from Maryland to California. The Bethesda monument has been shifted to accommodate urban renewal and is featured on the city's logo.
For over 300 years, this intersection has been at the heart of trade and travel in the area that is now Bethesda, Maryland. Originally the roads that meet here were trails used by Native Americans which evolved into five major streets in Bethesda. In 1985, not long after the construction of Bethesda Metro Station underneath this spot, Rozansky & Kay Construction Company placed a stone historic marker at the crossroads to commemorate three centuries of travel along these routes. One of the streets named in the historical marker inscription, Edgemoor Lane, no longer meets the intersection with the other four streets.
The Leslie Beall House in Bethesda was constructed in 1925, adjacent to a grocery store run by Leslie Beall. The grocery store was the first in Bethesda to have delivery and fresh meat. The house is marked by its central portico with columns, one-story wings with roof balustrades, and roofing with terra cotta tiles. Since 1986, the building and its adjacent gazebo have been used for commercial purposes.
The small, one-story building at the corner of Cordell Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue is the former home to a restaurant named Little Tavern. The building and other restaurants in the chain are distinct for their green roof and construction in the old English cottage, Tudor style. The buildings were constructed of modern building materials such as vitrolite, tile, Formica, and aluminum alloy. The building was designated a historic site in 1994, due to its architecture being a prime example of roadside architecture from the early automobile era. Currently, the restaurant is a Chinese takeout.
Designed by renowned architect John Eberson, this art deco-style theater was completed in 1938 and is one of the only remaining art deco theaters in the region constructed during Hollywood's Golden Age. Known as the Boro Theatre during some of its years in business, this theater was part of an independent movie house chain owned by Sidney Lust. The theater's establishment was integral to the development of the business center of Bethesda and therefore also part of the suburbanization of the DC metro area. Though the theater has undergone some renovations, name changes, and new business models over its history, it has operated almost continuously since 1938. In 1999, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as the home of Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club.
This store is Bethesdas earliest surviving commercial structure and the only remaining store from before the 20th century. It was built around 1890 on the site of the old Rockville turnpike tollbooth and was originally known as Wilson's store. During Bethesda's early days, Wilson's Store also was host to the local Post Office and was Bethesda's only store, containing groceries, dry goods, hardware, and fuel. Later, the building housed the Community Paint and Hardware store. The two-story building is typical of the times commercial architecture and has commercial space on the first floor and residential space above. The building has been moved twice before, once in 1988, and once in 2017.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
This short walk through the heart of Bethesda, Maryland begins at the earliest surviving commercial structure and includes several other historic downtown buildings such as the Bethesda Theatre and the Little Tavern. The tour also includes historical markers, schools, a monument, and historic homes.
